"As long as you're still in touch with the audience, you can still get inside their heads and you're saying stuff that they relate to, then I think you should be on there," he explained.

"The moment that stops happening to me, I don't want to be on there. I've just signed up for another three years, but after that time I will probably be too old for it and you've got to move on."

He continued: "I'm just realistic. By the time I finish Radio 1, if it is [after the deal], it will be something like 16 years [on air]. I still love it, but it is moving into a different generation... that's not a bad thing."

Mills also highlighted age as a factor in him being overlooked to replace Chris Moyles on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show after the DJ's departure last week.

"I don't think I would wanna do it now, I honestly don't," he said. "Chris Moyles has been there for such a long time, why would you replace him with me now?

"Radio 1 is a young station, it's a generational station and age-wise and genre-wise, if you replace me for him you're replacing like for like."

On how new host Nick Grimshaw will fare, Mills predicted: "Someone like Grimmy is what they need. It makes a statement... obviously he'll get a hard time for a while because [he has] massive shoes to fill.

"I think people will get to like it. I think a new younger load of listeners will really like it and, yes, there will be a lot of older listeners who won't like it. But that's what Radio 1's supposed to do. You're not supposed to like it if you're 45."

Mills's first autobiography Love You Bye is on sale now.

He will be appearing at the following stores to sign copies of the book: